Paragraph 9 – Beijing Platform for Action, Chapter II: Global Framework
Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): The Good Men Project
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2018/09/03
9. The objective of the Platform for Action, which is in full conformity with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and international law, is the empowerment of all women. The full realization of all human rights and fundamental freedoms of all women is essential for the empowerment of women. While the significance of national and regional particularities and various historical, cultural and religious backgrounds must be borne in mind, it is the duty of States, regardless of their political, economic and cultural systems, to promote and protect all human rights and fundamental freedoms./9 The implementation of this Platform, including through national laws and the formulation of strategies, policies, programmes and development priorities, is the sovereign responsibility of each State, in conformity with all human rights and fundamental freedoms, and the significance of and full respect for various religious and ethical values, cultural backgrounds and philosophical convictions of individuals and their communities should contribute to the full enjoyment by women of their human rights in order to achieve equality, development and peace.
Beijing Declaration (1995)
The Charter of the United Nations is the documented orientation of the Beijing Declaration. The purpose of the Platform for Action is to further international law and the Charter. The thrust for those three points of contact is the empowerment of women: the Charter, the Declaration, and international law. This is the basis for stating the realization, instantiation, actualization, or implementation of human rights and the fundamental freedoms for women and girls.
That no woman should be left out in the light of this – and the empowerment of women is the highest ideal for the equality of the sexes, as mostly and historically women have been at a disadvantage compared to men and often considered a piece of property of chattel. With the full acknowledgment as to the diversity of women, there is also recognition of the obligation, morally speaking, of the governments of the world to work within their own borders to improve the livelihoods and statuses of women.
If all human rights are to be respected, the single largest group for inclusion into the moral sphere of rights would be women. Statistically, this makes the most sense. Then in terms of the international lack of provisions, this grouping continues to have less in societies – fewer rights, fewer opportunities, insufficient finances, fewer chances to have freedoms within the family. Any improvement in their livelihood can improve the status all over the world.
This is reflected in the principles of this paragraph with the declaration for all human rights and fundamental freedoms for women to be implemented for the empowerment of women. Then there are the national and regional particularities mentioned, which simply implies – along with the other descriptors – the individual and unique experiences and backgrounds of each woman while acknowledging the general situation for them around the world.
The final statements relate to the various policy and program recommendations around the world for the greater equality of women. The purpose is to incorporate the unified religious and ethical values – such as the Golden Rule variations mentioned in other articles – necessary to be invoked for the furtherance of the equality of the genders. This is not an easy task or a short implementation period.
But, rather, a long-term effort for the equality of the sexes because we have all of the past to deal with. All of history has moved us to the present, and only the conscious efforts and technological conveniences of the present provide the ability for rights to be implemented more and more. It is within this modern framework that the advancement and empowerment of women make the most sense.
Within this framework of enjoyment of the full rights of women, the dial moves in the modern progressive direction, which contains morally desirable outcomes but also economically more viable societies with increased lifespans, better quality of life, and, in general, more equality of the sexes at all levels of society – more peace, too.
–One can find similar statements in other documents, conventions, declarations and so on, with the subsequent statements of equality or women’s rights:
- The Universal Declaration of Human Rights in the Preamble, Article 16, and Article 25(2).
- Convention Against Discrimination in Education (1960) in Article 1.
- The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966) in Article 3, Article 7, and Article 13.
- International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966).
- Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (1979).
- Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (1984).
- The Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (1993).
- Beijing Declaration(1995).
- United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000).
- Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children (2000).
- The Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa or the “Maputo Protocol” (2003).
- Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence or the Istanbul Convention (2011) Article 38 and Article 39.
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